Dispensing and storage cabinet for effervescent beverages



`July 13, 1937. o. J. VINCENT 2,086,832

DISPENSING AND STORAGE CABINET FOR EFFERVESCENT BEVERAGES Filed April 3o, 1956 2 sheets-sheet 1 o .E o' l. y 2? Q* En A. u l y 1. /i f @,l #37M ATTORNEYS July 13, 1937. 0, J, V|NCENT 2,086,832

DISPENSING AND STORAGE CABINET FOH EFFERVESCENT `BEVERAGES Filed April so, 193e 2 sheets-sheet L:e

of a rib rigid with the bottom face of the tray is spaced, slightly, back of the front bottom edge of the tray to provide a front groove, and the rabbets 38, 38 of the two doors form grooves thaty sealing I provide a yieldable gasket at 40, between the doors and the tray.l

Tray 30, following the principles embodied in the majority of beer trays, is arranged to drain to one point and, at this point, a drain 42 is provided. This in my present cabinet is adapted to engage, when it is in its operative position, the opening 44 of drain pipe 24 and thus adequately take care of any spillage or flushing that may occur.

My cabinet is provided with the usual beer cooling coils which are not illustrated, and also keg cooling coils 46 which are in turncooled by the refrigerating plant contained in ycompartment I4. To further assist in maintaining the cool temperature desired, I line my cabinet with heat insulation material as at 48 and provide the usual step doors of considerable thickness as 20 and 2|.

Method of operation In using my equipment the principal advantage is the ease with which kegs can be removed or replenished. There are two features, particularly, in my cabinet which -make this most convenient. In removing a keg from my cabinet the first operation is to open doors 20 and 2|. This will release, and make it possible to raise, tray 30 to the position indicated in Figures 1 and 2. It is then possible for the operator to disconnect the tap rod at 50 from the fixed piping, 52 of the cabinet. The keg can then be `rocked and twisted until `it is brought out from under tray 30. To facilitate this, however, there should be considerable clearance between the bottom of the tray and the top of the tap rod equipment. This I have indicated in Figures 2 and 3 by the broken line 54. As soon as the keg has lbeen taken entirely out of the cabinet, the tapvrod and its assembly can then be removed from the keg and be inserted in a filledrkeg outside of the cabinet. Then, following in reverse order' the operation described, the keg with its tap rod properlyseated can be rplaced into its normal position of use, Where itsvtap rod can then be connected with the service piping 52. During this entire operation it has been only necessary tov swing tray 30 upwardly to its position as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and itis not necessary, as in many other types, to lift the heavy, bulky tray entirely out of the cabinet. Further, there is no danger of spilling in this cabinet during this period of the operation as the back of the tray is still under the discharge nozzle 56, thus protecting the entire cabinet from becoming unsanitary as so often happens where effervescent liquids, particularly beer, are spilled in inaccessible places where it is not convenient to wipe the same up again. As soon as the beer keg has been put in place and the tap rod connected, tray 30 can be lowered to the usual position, for such trays, as shown in Figure 3 and the device is ready for service. It is desired to point out that were a conventional arrangement used, in which the center post I8 is connected to the sides of the cabinet as by securing a bar between post I8 and the posts upon which hinges 26 are secured, it would not be possible totake the keg and its tap out as 'a unit and thestructure shown would not result.

The foregoing description and the accompanying drawings are believed to clearly disclosea preferred embodiment of my invention but it will be understood that this disclosure is merely illustrative and that such changes in the invention may be made as are fairly within the scope and spirit of the following claims.

I claim:

1. The combination in a beverage dispensing cabinet having an open front, a center-post at the frontof the cabinet, and anelevated hori- .zontal support rigid Vwith the post and cabinet,

with a pair of oppositely opening hinged doors, of a tray extending substantially the combined width of the two doors and hinged to the cabinet above the doors, a prop pivoted on the cabinet adapted to rest on the support for holding the tray in open position, a stop-rib mounted on the under face of the tray, and rabbets on the upper edges of said doors for frictional engagement with the stop-rib when the tray and doors are closed. f

2. The combination with an open-front cabinet having a center-post, and a pair of oppositely-opening hinged-doors, of a tray extending substantially the combined Width of the two doors and hinged to the cabinet above the doors, a stop-rib mounted on the under face of the tray to form a front edge-groove, and rabbets forming a complementary groove at the upper edges of the doors, whereby frictionalengagement of the rabbets against .the stop-rib holds the tray against opening movement when the tray and 'doors are in closed position. v

' OTTO J. VINCENT. 

